Kevin Hart can roast an NBA superstar with the confidence of someone who forgets he is standing next to a seven-footer. That swagger has helped him become a familiar face around the league, from courtside seats to celebrity events. It has also put him in the crosshairs for the kind of joke you cannot talk your way out of.
Hart says there is one bit he no longer finds funny. When Shaquille O’Neal or Joel Embiid decides to pick him up in public, the punchline becomes physical, and Hart is the one dangling. On “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” he admitted he has started avoiding both big men in certain settings because the routine keeps happening.
When jokes turn physical
Hart has built his brand on being fearless around athletes who tower over him. He is roughly 5-foot-2 by many public bios, while the NBA centers he teases can be a full two feet taller. That size gap is part of why the jokes land, and why the payback is so easy.
On the podcast, Hart described the frustration of having no control once he is off the ground. “There’s nothing worse than somebody picking you up, but you can’t do s—t about it,” he recalled, describing how he tells them to chill while it continues. For him, it is less about being offended and more about being turned into a public prop.
Shaq’s longtime running gag
O’Neal, listed at 7-foot-1, has been a recurring figure in Hart’s NBA orbit for years. Hart told Shaq that the former MVP used to lift him casually as a greeting, even in front of other people. “Shaq used to pick me up and be like, ‘Ah, what’s up?’ Then he’d put me down,” Hart said.
Hart also suggested the routine has slowed with time, at least with O’Neal. “He does it all the time. Now he stopped because he’s older, so his back can’t handle it,” Hart said, while still noting that the instinct is there. The point, he implied, is not the strength so much as the lack of consent in the moment.
Embiid joins the routine
Hart said Embiid, listed at 7-foot-0, started doing the same thing. Embiid’s participation matters because it shows how quickly a private joke can turn into a league-wide bit when personalities overlap. “He does it, and Joel Embiid does it too, so I stopped talking to Joel in public, too,” Hart said.
Hart made clear his reaction is about preventing the situation, not escalating it. He said it is not simply the act of being picked up, but the helplessness and the timing, especially when it happens in front of his kids. The larger issue is that what begins as friendly banter can flip into a moment where he becomes the spectacle.
Little-known fact: Joel Embiid was named the NBA’s Kia Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season.
Hart sets a boundary
In the same conversation, Hart emphasized he is not trying to end the friendships. He is trying to stop a specific behavior that can turn embarrassing fast when cameras, fans, or family are nearby. Avoiding certain public interactions is his workaround because the size mismatch makes it impossible to enforce the boundary in real time.
That dynamic is common in celebrity sports culture, where bits are repeated because they reliably get a reaction. For Hart, the comedian who usually controls the room, losing control of the physical situation is the problem. The laughter may be real, but the cost is that he is no longer the one choosing the joke.
O’Neal addresses the Hart prank
O’Neal framed the relationship as a long friendship built on teasing and comedy bits. He also shared a story about Hart once trying to “fistfight” him over a comedy skit idea, underscoring how their back-and-forth has become part of their shared entertainment persona.
He acknowledged that the joke has a built-in imbalance because of their size difference, but framed it as part of the on-camera chemistry fans expect when they link up. At the same time, the comments come as Hart publicly draws a boundary, signaling the bit may need to stay off-limits in certain settings. For O’Neal, the message was clear: the friendship is real, even if the humor sometimes pushes the edge.
A friendship built on bits
O’Neal framed the relationship as long-running mutual entertainment, not cruelty. “A lot of people don’t know we’ve been friends a long time, but Kevin tried to fight me one time,” Shaq said, using the story to underline how familiar they are. He then described Hart calling him about a skit idea where Shaq would pull Hart over because, as Hart supposedly put it, people laugh at Shaq playing a cop.
The exchange captures why the duo works for fans. Hart pushes, O’Neal responds, and the contrast in their personas does much of the comedic lifting. But Hart’s new line in the sand suggests the bit needs an update, especially when the joke relies on someone being physically overpowered.
TL;DR
- Kevin Hart said on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” that Shaquille O’Neal and Joel Embiid have picked him up in public as a recurring gag.
- Hart said he has started avoiding public interactions with them because the bit can be embarrassing, including around his kids.
- He described the main issue as helplessness once it happens, not personal animosity.
- Hart suggested Shaq does it less now, joking that age and back issues have slowed him down.
- Shaq portrayed the relationship as a long friendship built on shared bits, including a story about Hart wanting a comedy skit.
- The moment highlights how sports-adjacent comedy can cross a boundary when the punchline turns physical.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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